Android developers get graphics boost with OpenGL ES access

Google has released a new version of the Android Native Developer Kit (NDK) and with it unlocked native library support and direct access to graphics interface OpenGL ES 2.0.

Allowing developers direct access to OpenGL brings a number of advantages. It will allow them to not only squeeze more performance out of Android handsets, but also make it easier to port existing programs using OpenGL over from other platforms.

The iPhone 3GS also supports OpenGL ES, meaning it could become easier to develop apps for both Android and iPhone as a single project. It also means developers who currently have desktop apps utilizing OpenGL may now more readily consider porting over to Android. For developers who have already done that, opening up OpenGL access means they may be able to squeeze better performance out of their apps.

In the end, it’s users who will benefit from faster apps, possibly more apps appearing that were once only available on iPhone, and hopefully more games too. One of the first apps to benefit looks to be the mobile version of Firefox, which Mozilla programmer Vladimir Vukicevic has confirmed will take advantage of OpenGL ES 2.0 access to accelerate rendering speeds.

If you want fast apps that fully utilize the feature set of a hardware platform, then you need to give developers access to that hardware at as low a level as possible. This is why Microsoft implemented DirectX for Windows as a way of allowing low-level access to PC hardware. Android developers are getting something similar on handsets and it won’t be long before we start seeing the benefits.

If you look at the rate at which Android smartphone hardware is developing you can see where the potential lies for some stunning apps in the near future. The 1GHz Snapdragon chip at the heart of the Nexus One is currently seen as the fastest implementation on the market, but we know Qualcomm has a 1.5GHz multi-core version planned for the end of this year. For any developer using OpenGL, the rendering performance is only going to get better and better with each new handset.

iPhone could potentially get left behind in terms of processing capabilities. That’s no fault of Apple, it has regular updates scheduled for its hardware. But for Android, there are multiple manufacturers vying for attention and sales. In such a market, each is going to be pushing for more features and faster components. Each iPhone release may be countered by several Android hardware refreshes.